Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence.

The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.

Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.

World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.

Few among men are they who cross to the further shore. The others merely run up and down the bank on this side.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

The treasure house within you contains everything, and you are free to use it. You don't need to seek outside.

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

The purpose of meditation is to gain right understanding of the true nature of mental and physical phenomena.

To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. We feel connected. But if that's all that's happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. On the other hand, wretchedness--life's painful aspect--softens us up considerably. Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person.

The ultimate purpose of Buddhism is to serve and benefit humanity.

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

We need to learn to let our emotions pass through us like waves, without getting caught in their undertow.

In my youth I studied, in my prime I practiced, now all my doubts are cleared.

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

The more clearly you see the arising and passing of phenomena, the less you will be attached to them.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

The world is its own magic.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer evil with good. Conquer stinginess with giving. Conquer deceit with truth.

Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

What we learn about the world is colored by the way we approach it.

A pure mind is always full of love - real love for all others.

The true mark of a spiritual practitioner is that your own behavior is better, not that you can criticize others well.